Story of the Acadians, The

"The poem written by Miss Amy Boudreau is a timely and appropriate hommage to the French ancestors of the Acadian people of Louisiana."-Guy Guoniam de Schompre, Consul General of FranceThis poem, originally written and published in 1955, and now in its seventh printing, tells the story of the Acadians who helped found the government and culture of Louisiana. It tells of the suffering the Acadians had to go through to forge an existence in Louisiana, and the unfailing courage and faith that helped them overcome their sufferings.Written in two-and-four line stanzas in simple ABAB form, Boudreau traces France's ceding of Acadia to England and the English attempts to make the Acadians loyal to the king. When they refused, they were placed on transports and scattered among English colonies along the Atlantic seaboard. She traces their eventual settlement in New Orleans, then a Spanish colony, where they were welcomed. The Acadians were allowed to make their homes at the Bayou Teche and Attakapas prairie, along with others who followed and settled along Bayou Lafourche.Boudreau shows the Acadians as peaceful, law-abiding citizens, loyal to their new country, and noted for their love of home and family. She ends by paying tribute to the descendants of the original Acadians who are still located in the cities their ancestors first settled.